Since Alan is currently in Malawi, we are providing excerpts from his weekly report when available in lieu of his normal articles we publish on Saturdays …----------------------------June 20, 2015As this week began, we were still making long trips of 1-3 hours on dirt roads. each way. This makes for long days as the roads are bumpy and dusty and several days back to back leaves me feeling weary along with allergy symptoms. What is also difficult are the scheduling problems. Everywhere we go they are asking for the lesson on the family, but to do it well, I need between 1.25 and 1.5 hours to teach it. Yet no matter how early we arrive, brethren never arrive in good numbers until 10:00-11:00am. This often leads to my final class on the family beginning at 3:00 or later and we seldom leave before 4:00-5:00pm. With a 2 hour drive back home, we don’t arrive until after dark and with no electricity and the need to be in bed by 8:30-9:00 it doesn’t give much relaxing time.

I have again been faced with a problem in Malawi regarding the office of the evangelist/preacher. The problem is multilayered and thus difficult to unravel. First, there are no located preachers in rural Malawi. This has resulted because not only have the congregations never been taught proper giving in their worship (most give $0.50 or less), but they have also been taught it is wrong to pay a preacher for his work. ...

To resolve this issue requires at least three lessons of over an hour each. First I have to teach them how to give. This is not a popular lesson as I am asking them to give more like Abraham (Gen. 14:18-19), Jacob (Gen. 28:20-22), and Israel ( using the tithe as a template for our own giving). I am always asked if I bind the tithe and I tell them no, the tithe is just the starting point. I believe early Christians gave more than just the tithe (10%). I reason like this. Those in Israel were giving the tithe (10%) AND freewill offerings, sacrifices, and firstfruits. When they were commanded to give liberally and bountifully would they cut back that 10% or give even more? I use the 10% as a guideline, a starting point, not a binding command. But it takes time to convince them that something they have always believed is actually error. ...----------------------------For more,

1) click on Malawi_2015_Report_4 (pdf) to display the full report2) select the "more… > Malawi" menu item to see the report, associated pictures, and previous reports.3) select the "Topics > G" menu item to see articles on the topic of "Giving".

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Alan Hitchen

Alan is a preacher for the Holly Street church of Christ in Denver, CO. He has preached in various other locations in his +35 year career. He is also active in spreading the Gospel to Malawi, Africa.

Bible Questions is a work of the Holly Street church of Christ in Denver, CO. Copyright (c) 2018 Holly Street church of Christ. All material within the website may be freely distributed for non-commercial uses by including a reference to the website.